Plain. Black. Tights: The Best and the Worst.

Plain black tights. A British girls wardrobe staple for any occasion. My life long dream is to pull a pair of tights out of my drawer which don’t have a hole of some form in them. I’ve tried all brands in all shapes and all sizes. So here is my brief round up of the best (and worst) opaque black tights on the block. Things to bear in mind in this post when it comes to sizing/longevity is that I am a size 10-12 on the bottom and wear them EVERY GOD DAMN DAY (obviously alternating pairs). Don’t worry, the ‘reviews’ are pretty brief, as let’s face it, expanding on black tights is pushing the boundaries of interesting content, even for me. These reviews are of predominantly supermarket brands, as buying tights for some comes as often as buying bread. Well, for me it does anyway.

Asda:

3 pack 80 Denier Tights £5 in S/M.Fit: Fairly comfortable although the waistband tends to come up a little high (over belly button height if you pull them up far enough!). Tend to come in slightly bigger than you’d expect from a small to medium tight and can boarder on a little loose depending on how much bread you’ve eaten that day.

Quality: Good. They appear to be a nice silky finish without a horrid shine on.

3 pack 40 Denier Tights £4 in S/MFit: Once again, fairly comfortable. The waistband seems to come in a little lower than the aforementioned 80 denier option, but with the same issues of being a little bigger when you’re less bloated.

Quality: Weird. They come across almost ‘bitty’? Not a smooth finish but still relatively opaque for 40 denier.

Longevity: Just keep these away from velcro and cats. The holes come easily and expand at a rapid pace when you try and pull them up. They don’t ladder down, but across.

Overall: 6/10

Primark:

3 pack 40 Denier Tights £3.50 in S/M

Fit:Ok, nothing to complain about, but the waistband does tend to come up very high on me. The seam around your crotch seems to be a bit… tight/thick… I dunno. Like sometimes if you’re over zealous pulling them up – you feel it. Ha.

Quality: As high as you’d expect from Primark. I basically buy these for ’emergency tights’ now, but find they are a slightly ‘smoother’ finish than the Asda 40 denier tights.

Longevity: Once again, as you’d expect – not super long. After around 3 weeks the holes in the butt start to appear and they stretch out of shape a little.

Overall: 5/10

*I was also going to mention the Super Cosy tights from Primark, but will just stick to the fact that after I’ve worn mine around 4 times they stretch totally out of shape.

Fit: Perfect height around the hips! Hurrah!! True to size and comfortable.

Quality: Very nice and smooth without a shiny finish. Although I’m debating the 60 denier finish as the ‘weave'(?) seems slightly more spaced than usual. I don’t know how to explain that one.

Longevity: I can’t actually comment on this yet, as I literally bought them on my lunch break after a pair of Sainsbury’s tights failed me with a MASSIVE hole on my thigh – not the best look for work. But so far, so good!

Fit: Last time I bought these they were MASSIVE. Way too long and gave a right good Nora Batty wrinkle around the ankle, no matter how high I pulled them up. They’re basically a bra and tights in one with extra ankle space.

Quality: I didn’t like these at all. They were too fine for a 60 denier, and seemed more like a 40. Perhaps packaged in the wrong packaging? Who knows. And when combined with the constant need to pull them up, holes appear really quickly.

Fit: Came up high, like most, but the sizing was true enough for a S/M pair of tights.

Quality: An easy to rip/snag finish with a slightly shiny sheen. They felt and looked cheap.

Longevity: Like the Tesco ones; about a week. Holes developed in the seam around your crotch after about the 2nd wear! Maybe it’s the fact I thought Sainsburys would naturally be better quality than most. But no.

Overall: 2/10

So there we have it, brief reviews of some tights. Doesn’t get more exciting than that really does it? Should I ask where you have found the best tights? Let me know below!

Hello, I’m Terri Lowe.

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About Hello Terri Lowe // UK Music, Food and Culture Blog

A UK Music, Food and Culture Blog, based in Staffordshire. Often spotted on adventures in Manchester, Liverpool, London or Birmingham at the weekends, you can expect to see a little bit of everything from festivals to food and everything in-between. When not blogging, you can find me having a nice sit down with my three cats, Stevie, Kitty and Dot. Don’t forget to take a look at my ‘about‘ page if you’re interested in collaborating on any exciting opportunities that you think would be a good fit!